SINGAPORE, Nov. 4, 2024- The children of Little Footprints Preschool (LFP) have been on a mission to do good in the community. Since 2016, the schools have been an ardent supporter of the Start Small, Dream Big (SSDB) project, an initiative by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) that aims to teach each child responsible citizenship.
Launched in 2015, the initiative encourages participating schools to create and implement programmes for children with a community element. Children are encouraged to innovate, problem-solve and channel their unique strengths towards helping others in teacher-guided projects over six months, sometimes involving their parents too. Over the past eight years, LFP has championed more than 300 projects across very diverse themes, from wildlife conservation to caring for the elderly, sustainability and so on.
SSDB celebrated a decade of doing good this year with a celebration at Gardens by the Bay on 3 May 2024. Three LFP centres joined the celebrations, with English Preschool Educator Ms Amabel Toh and K2 preschooler Navisha Kumari Nishad taking centre stage as the event hosts. A class of LFP preschoolers also delighted the audience with a vibrant dance performance. Chock full of meaningful moments, the day’s programme commemorated the incredible joys and fulfilment of a long journey in nurturing community service and environmental stewardship in young lives.
The SSDB journey culminated in the Early Childhood Celebrations (ECC) organised by ECDA on 2 November at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. The event showcased the achievements and talents of preschoolers from across Singapore. Children from Little Footprints Preschool Jurong West 660 were specially invited to perform at this prestigious finale, where they inspired the audience with their passion and creativity.
Across various LFP centres, children have been enthusiastically embarking on various community initiatives. On 21 June 2024, children from LFP Woodgrove distributed care packs filled with items donated by their parents to hardworking community workers. Smiles and high-fives were seen as grateful community workers received the care packs from the centre’s children. Six-year-old Giselle Ng said, “I felt happy giving out the care packs to the drivers who deliver food to our house. I want to show our appreciation to them for being kind to me and my family!”
Meanwhile, promoting inclusivity and empathy was the theme of LFP Admiralty’s project. They welcomed a guest speaker from the Down Syndrome Association (Singapore), who gave the children an informative talk and storytelling session about Down syndrome. Joanna Rebecca, Principal of LFP Admiralty, emphasised that the centre has consistently prioritised teaching children the values of empathy and fostering a connected society.
The LFP Jurong East 248 preschoolers turned their attention to animal welfare with their “Wild but not Free” project in partnership with Acres. During the interactive session, the children learned about the detrimental impacts of animal poaching from Acres’ educator and created posters to encourage people to halt animal poaching. “Animals should be in the wild, not cages!” declared six-year-old Koo Yu Zac.
Rowena Mark Ramos, Head of Curriculum at Babilou Family Singapore, the parent company of LFP, expressed her pride in the students’ achievements, stating, “SSDB aligns perfectly with our mission to nurture caring, conscientious leaders of tomorrow. We are incredibly proud of our children for leading the way to make a difference.”
Through these projects, LFP aims to nurture a generation of compassionate and environmentally conscious leaders who can someday give back to the community.
